Street-railway switch



(N0 Model.)

M. A; CUTTER.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 477,046. Patented Junelll, 1892.

. f Timm pluk f Matar.' m Q. man' www UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

MARTIN A. CUTTER, QF ALLEGIIENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

STREET-RAILWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,046, dated June 14, 1892.

Application tiled August 31, 1891. Serial No. 404,327. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern,.-

.Be it known that I, MARTIN A. CUTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention'relates to improvements in switches for railways of that class over which street-cars travel, the motive power of which is either horses, cable, or electricity, and in some instances steam, and has for its obj ect the construction of mechanism whereby the switch-rail can be turned to open the switch to a siding or to the main line from the front platform of a car without any retardation of its motion and with but slight exertion and attention on the part of the driver or motorman.

It also has for its obj ect the construction of a switch-rail-operating device that can be applied to any pattern of cars and 4 which can be adjusted to be used with a switch-frog of any width.

The first part of the invention, which relates to the construction of the mechanism for moving the switch-rail, consists in slotting horizontally and at points which would be below the iiange of a passing wheel the rails between which the switch-rail moves, at points near the free end of the latter, and pivoting in the slots cams with their cam-su rfaces engaging with the switch-rail and which have levers projecting beyond the rails, whereby they can be operated.

The second part of the invention, which relates to the means whereby the cams for moving the switch-rail are operated, consists in securing to the under side of the platform levers, one for each cam, and which can be adjusted so that each will come directly over the cam which it respectively operates. Each lever is made of two parts, which are so connected that it may be adjusted in regard to length to suit theheight of the platform above the track. The lower end of each lever is provided with a roller to engage with the track when it is depressed to limit the downward movement and with a finger adapted to engage with the lever of the cam which it is to operate. The upper ends of those levers are weighted, so that normally their lower ends are raised above the tracks. On the upper side of the platform another pair of levers is secured in the saine manner as the lower ones and directly over the latter. These up per levers are pivoted below their middle portions and their lower ends extend through the platform. The upper ends of the levers are weighted and normally their lower ends are elevated. When it is desired to move the switch-rail, one of the upper levers is raised at its upper end, which will cause its lower end to depress the lever immediately below and cause the finger at the extremity of the latter to move its respective cam, and in consequence the switch-rail, thereby opening the track to the desired line.

Theinvention further consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, such as will be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference designate correspondin g parts, Figure l is a side elevation of the front part of a car and a portion of the track embodying the invention, aportion of the dash-board being cutaway to show the operating-levers. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the line m c of Fig. l. Fig. is a plan View of the track, showing the switch open to a siding. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line y y of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, A and A' designate the rails of the main line of a railway* track, the latter A being cut by the switch, B and B the rails of the siding, and C and C the frogs. The latter C supports the switch-rail D, E and E the guard-rails, and F F the ties upon which the frogs are seated.

The frog C consists of a main portion or base a, projecting from the upper face of which, near the inner edge, is the guard-rail E, and near the outer edge the connectingends of the rail A of the main line and the rail B of the siding. From the base at one end, between the guard F. and the rail B' of IOO the siding, the rail b projects, being the continuation of the rail A of the main line. This frog is formed in any manner suitable in the premises. The switch-rail D is placed upon the frog between the rails A', B', and E', and pivoted near the end abutting the continuation b by the bolt c. In thc rails A and E', between the pivotal point of the switch-rail and its free end, near the latter and at a point which would be below the iiange of a passing wheel, horizontal stots'ffare formed, in which the cams e c are pivoted bythe pins 7L 7i passing through the rails. Each cam is so placed that the cam-surfaces will contact with the switch-rail on opposite sides. From each cam a lever hf projects, by means of which either of the cams can be turned and the switch-rail moved to the right or left, as it is desired.

The construction of the frog C is that ordinarily adopted, and as it forms no part of the invention need not be more specifically described.

rIhe mechanism for operating the switchrail through the medium of the cams will now be described.

A is the front platform of a'car, to the under side of which are secured the plates h h in such a manner as to be adjusted transversely, so as to be brought directly over the rails A and E', respectively. This adjustment is secured by slotting the plates transversely and passing through the slots into the wood the bolts b h, provided with suitable nuts. Each plate has an independent adjustment, so that both can be moved to suit any width of frogs. Projecting from the under side of each plate are the lugs m m, between which the levers M M are pivoted near their upper ends. Beyond its pivotal point each lever is turned at right angles for a short distance and is provided with a counterpoise W, the object of which is to normally hold the lower end of the lever in an elevated position. The lower end of the lever is bifurcated and has journaled between the ends of the samea roller R, and one of the endsis extended to form a ngerf. The length of the lower end of the lever is such that it will more than reach to its respective track, and to allow for the varying heights of the different constructions of cars it is made of two parts, which are adjustably secured together by means of bolts Z Z passing through slots in one into the other. As onelever is similar to the other in all respects, except that the 1ingersff are on opposite sides, but one need be described. Upon the top of the platform, directly over the plates h It, similar plates aa are secured in a like manner. Each pair of plates, consisting of an upper and the one immediately below, is, with the platform, slotted transversely and both plates are adapted to be adjusted together. Each upper plate is provided with lugs c c, and it is adjusted so that its lugs are a short distance back of those of the plate below. Between the lugs of each upper plate a lever L short distance of the lever immediately below,

and it has its extremity broadened at m, for a purpose that will be explained farther on.

The frog C is so constructed that the lia- Y bility of the switch-rail to become clogged by.

snow or dirt packing between it and the adjacent rails of the frog is avoided. In the present construction that part of the frog upon which the switch-rail moves is made in the form of a grating. The en ds of the switchrail rest upon the solid portions of the base for a short distance. The intermediate poi'- tion rests upon the cross-barss s s, which form the grating. These cross-bars are triangular in cross-section with their apexes uppermost. By this means little or no surface is presented, and consequently all dbris which would in the ordinary switch pack around the switchrail is given no support and it falls through the grating. Beneath the grating areceptacle S is formed into which the dbris falls and which can be connected with a sewer to carry off t-he water or melted snow which might otherwise accumulate there.

The operation of the device is as follows: The levers normally are elevated at their lower ends, which is caused by the weights secured to the upper ends. supposing the car to be on the main track and it is desired to turn out to a siding. On approaching the switch the operator raises the outer of the upper levers at its upper end, and consequently depresses the lower end, causing it to engage with the lower lever, depressing the lower end of the same until the roller R rests upon the track A', both levers having been previously adj usted to bring the roller directly over the rail, limiting any further downward movement of the lever. As the car approaches the switch the linger f will engage with the lever of the cam e and turn the same, which will force the switch-rail against the guard-rail, thereby opening the main line to the siding. The object of providing the lever M with the broad portion m is to make the contact between the two levers sure and one which would not be liable to be broken by the two parts slipping past each other, as they might do from the vibration of the levers or an inaccurate adjustment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a railway-switch, the combination of the switch-rail, the cams located on each side of the switch-rail and contacting with the same, the levers secured to the under side of the platform of a car, and the levers secured to the top side of the platform, substantially as described.

2. In a railway-switch, the combination of IOO IIO

of the switch-rail, with their cam-faces oon-l taeting with the same, the levers secured to the said cams, and the overbalanced levers secured to the platform of a car, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-switch, the combination of the switch-rail, the cams pivoted on each side of the switch-rail, with their cam-faces contacting with the same, and the overbalanced levers adj ustably secured to the platform of a oar, substantially as described.

Il. In a 1ailwayswitch,tl1e combination of a switch-rail, the cams pivoted on each side of the said rail and with their cam-faces contacting with the same, the levers projecting from the said cams, and the means for moving the said levers, consisting of the levers M M, pivoted to the under side of a platform of a ear, and the levers L L, pivoted' to the top of the platform and extending through the same, with their lower ends over the lower ends of the levers M M, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-switch, the combination of the switelrrail, the cams pivoted on each side of the said rail, with their eamaces engaging with the same, the overbalanced levers` pivoted on the top of the platform and extending down through the saine, the overbalanced levers pivoted to the under side of the platform, the rollers, and the engaging fingers carried by the latter levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN A. CUTTER. Vitnesses:`

R. FosTER ROBINSON, GEO. S. COTTON. 

